Decommissioned 12 February 1947.
Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned 3 December 1951.
Decommissioned 5 February 1954 for Guppy conversion.
Recommissioned 3 August 1954.
Decommissioned and loaned to Italy 13 December 1954.
Stricken 15 October 1972.
Sold 1 April 1975 to be broken up for scrap.

Notable events involving Barb include:

20 Oct 1942With her trials and training completed USS Barb (Lt.Cdr. John R. Waterman) departed from New London bound for the north-west coast of Africa. Barb was to take part in the landing in North Africa.

11 Jun 1944While on patrol in Sea of Okhotsk, east of Karafuto USS Barb (Lt.Cdr. E.B. Fluckey) sank two Japanese sampans with gunfire in position 48°13'N, 144°21'E and torpedoed and sank the Japanese sank the Japanese fishing vessels Chihaya Maru (1160 GRT) and Toten Maru (3823 GRT) in position 46°50'N, 144°05'E.

12 Nov 1944While on patrol in the East China Sea, USS Barb (Cdr. E.B. Fluckey) torpedoed and sank the Japanese transport ship Naruo Maru (4823 GRT) and torpedoed and damaged the Japanese merchant Gyokuyo Maru (5396 GRT) in position 31°39'N, 125°36'E. The damaged Gyokuyo Maru is sunk 2 days later by USS Spadefish.

2 Jul 1945USS Barb (Cdr. E.B. Fluckey) employs rockets in a bombardment of Japanese shore installations at Kaihyo Island off the east coast of Karafuto. This is the first successful use of these weapons against shore positions by a US submarine. Barb also sank three Japanese sampans with gunfire in position 48°30'N, 144°38'E.

25 Jul 1945USS Barb (Cdr. E.B. Fluckey) sank a Japanese sampan with gunfire in position 49°04'N, 143°49'E and 5 more in position 48°53'N, 144°19'E.

26 Jul 1945USS Barb (Cdr. E.B. Fluckey) shells a Japanese shipyard and destroys 35 Japanese sampans under construction of the East coast of Hokkaido in position 44°20'N, 146°01'E. Later she also sank a Japanese trawler with gunfire in position 44°21'N, 145°52'E.